中国传统文化的历史经典故事、民间传说、成语故事的英语改编

Carrying Faggots to Put Out a Fire

In the last years of the Warring States period, the State of Qin attacked the State of Wei on a large scale repeatedly and occupied large areas of land, for the State of Wei was too weak to defend itself. In 273 B.B., the qin army launched another attack upon the State of Wei with a momentum more vigorous than ever. The king of the State of Wei summoned his officials,and asked with a worried look if anyone could propose a way to defeat the Qin army. After years of chaos caused by the wars,the officials trembled when fighting was mentioned, and no one dared to speak ofresistance. At the critical moment when a large enemy force was bearing down upon the border, most of the offinials persuaded the king to sue for peace, at the cost of giving away to the State of Qin the large area of land north of the Huanghe River and south of the Taihang Mountain. However Su Dai, a counsellor, did not agree. He hurried up to the king and said:"Your Majesty, they don't think about the interests of the country at all.It is just because they are cowardly and afraid of death that they ask you to sue for peace by betraying the country. Of course you can temperarily satisfy the ambition of the king of the State of Qin is insatiably greedy. It will never stop assaulting us until our land is totally given away."Once there was a man whose house was on fire. People told him to put out the fire with water, but he would not listen. Instead, he carried a faggot to put out the fire, only to make the fire fiercer. That was because he didn't know that,instead of putting out the fire, faggots could only make it burning more vigorously. Isn't it equivalent to carrying faggots to put out a fire if you agree to sue for peace at the cost of the land of the State of Wei?"Though Su Dai's argument was very convincing, the king accepted the suggestion of those officials and gave away to the State of Qin a large area of the land of the State of Wei. For the king of the State of Wei was cowardly and only cared for peace at the moment.As might be expected,the Qin army assaulted the State of Wei on a large scale in 225 B.C.,surrounding the capital city Daliang and flooding it by digging open the dykes of the Huanghe River.The State of Wei was finally destroyed by the State of Qin.This story appears in the Historical Records Written by Sima Qian.The set phrase"carrying faggots to put out a fire"is used to mean adopting a wrong method to save a situation and ending up by making it worse.

抱薪救火

战国末期 ，秦国向魏国接连发动大规模的进攻，魏国无力抵抗
，大片土地都被秦军占领了。到公元前273年，秦国又一次向魏国出兵 ，势头空前猛烈 。

魏王把大臣们召来
，愁眉苦脸地问大家有没有使秦国退兵的办法。大臣们由于经过多年的战乱，提起打仗就吓得哆嗦 ，谁也不敢谈“抵抗”二字
。在这大兵压境的危急时刻
，多数大臣都劝魏王，用黄河以北和太行山以南的大片土地为代价 ，向秦王求和。

谋士苏代听了这些话
，很不以为然，忙上前对魏王说：“大王 ，他们是因为自己胆小怕死
，才让您去卖国求和，根本不为国家着想 。您想 ，把大片土地割让给秦国虽然暂时满足了秦王的野心，但秦国的欲望是无止境的
，只要魏国的土地没割完，秦军就不会停止进攻我们
。 ”说到这里 ，苏代讲了一个故事：从前有一个人
，他的房子起火了，别人劝他快用水去浇灭大火 ，但他不听
，偏抱起一捆柴草去救火，是因为他不懂得柴草不但不能灭火反而能助长火势的道理。大王若同意拿着魏国土地去求和 ，不就等于抱着柴草救火吗？”

尽管苏代讲得头头是道
，但是胆小的魏王只顾眼前的太平，还是依大臣们的意见把魏国大片土地割让给秦国 。到公元225年 ，果然秦军又向魏国大举进攻
，包围了国都大梁，掘开黄河大堤让洪水淹没了大梁城 ，魏国终于被秦国灭掉了
。

故事出自《史记魏世家》。成语“抱薪救火
”比喻用错误的方法去消灭祸害，结果反而使祸害扩

英文版司马光砸缸的故事

Retreating about Thirty Miles as Condition For Peace

During the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.), Duke Xian of the State of Jin Killed the crown prince Sheng because he had heard slanders about Sheng and believed them. He also sent his men to arrest Chong Er, Shen Sheng and believed them. He also sent his men to arrest Chonh Er, Shen Sheng's brother. Hearing the news, Chong Er escaped from the state of Jin, remaining a fugitive for more than ten years.

After innumerable hardships, Chong Er arrived at the State of Chu at last. King Cheng of the State of Chu treated him with high respect as he would have treated the ruler of a state, believing that he would have a vright fuure.

One day, King Cheng of the State of Chu gave a banquet in honoudr of Chong Er. Suddenly, amid the harmonious atmosphere of drinking and talking, King Cheng of the State of Chu asked Chong Er. "How will you repay me when you return to the State of Jin and become its ruler one day?" After thinking for a moment, Chong Er said, "You have plenty of beauties and attendants as well as jewelry and silk cloth, and the state of Chu abounds in rare brides and animals. What treasure can the State of Jin boast having to present to your majesty?" King Cheng of the State of Chu said, "You are too modest. Nevertheless, you still have to show your gratitude to me in one way or another, I presume?" Smiling, Chong Er answered, "If I should be fortunate enouge to return to the State of Jin and become its ruler, the State of Jin would be friendly to the State of Chu. If, one day, there should be a war between the two states, I would definitely order my troops to retreat three SHE (one SHE is equivalent to thirty LI. The LI is a Chinese unit of length equivalent to 1/2 kilometre. And, therefore, three SHE is about thirty miles.) as a condition for peace. If, under that condition, you were still not reconciled, I would have to fight with you."

Four years later, as might be expected, Chong Er returned to the State of Jin and became its ruler. He was none other than Duke Wen of the State of Jin famous in ancient Chinese history. Ruled by him, the State of Jin became increasingly powerful.

In the year 533 B.C., the Chu troops and the Jin troops confronted each other in a battle. Faithful to his promise, Duke Wen of the State of Jin ordered his troops to retreat about thirty miles. After retreating, the Jin troops were stationed at Chengpu. Seeing that the Jin troops were retreating, the Chu troops thought that the enemy troops were afraid, and began chasing them. Taking advantage of the Chu troops' arrogance and their talking the Jin troops lightly, the Jin troops concentrated their forces and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Chu troops, thus winning the victory of the battle of Chengpu.

This set phrase, "retreating about thirty miles as a condition for peace," is derived from the Chapter "The Twenty-second Year of Duke Xi" in ZuoZhuan, the famous commentary by Zuo Qiuming on The spring and Autumn Annals. The idea of this set phrase is to give way to somebody in order to avoid a conflict.

翻译

司马光字君实
，陕州夏县人 。司马光7岁时，已经像成年一样（古代成年指弱冠 ，16岁
，并非如今的18岁）特别喜欢听人讲《左氏春秋》，了解其大意后回来讲给家人听
。

从此对《左氏春秋》爱不释手 ，甚至忘记饥渴和冷热。一群小孩子在庭院里面玩
，一个小孩站在大缸（瓮指大缸）上面，失足跌落缸中被水淹没 ，其他的小孩子都跑掉了
，司马光拿石头砸开了缸，水从而流出 ，小孩子得以活命 。

原文

司马光字君实
，陕州夏县人也
。光生七岁，凛然如成人 ，闻讲《左氏春秋》，爱之
，退为家人讲，即了其大指。自是手不释书 ，至不知饥渴寒暑 。群儿戏于庭
，一儿登瓮，足跌没水中 ，众皆弃去
，光持石击瓮破之，水迸 ，儿得活。

出处

元末·阿鲁图《宋史》

扩展资料

一、背景

司马光出生于宋真宗天禧三年（公元1019年11月17日）
，当时，他的父亲司马池正担任光州光山县令 ，于是便给他取名 “光”
。司马光家世代官宦
，其父司马池后来官至兵部郎中 、天章阁待制，一直以清廉仁厚享有盛誉。

司马光字君实 ，陕川夏县人 。父亲名字叫司马池，任天章阁待制（宋代官名）司马光深受其父影响
，自幼便聪敏好学
。

据史书记载，司马光非常喜欢读《左传》 ，常常"手不释书
，至不知饥渴寒暑"。七岁时，他便能够熟练地背诵《左传》 ，并且能把二百多年的历史梗概讲述得清清楚楚
，可见他自幼便对历史怀有十分浓厚的兴趣 。

二、作者简介

司马光（1019年11月17日－1086年10月11日），字君实 ，号迂叟
。汉族。陕州夏县（今山西夏县）涑水乡人 
，世称涑水先生 。北宋政治家
、史学家、文学家
。西晋安平献王司马孚之后。

宋仁宗宝元元年（1038年），司马光登进士第 ，累进龙图阁直学士 。宋神宗时
，因反对王安石变法，离开朝廷十五年 ，主持编纂了中国历史上第一部编年体通史《资治通鉴》
。历仕仁宗 、英宗
、神宗、哲宗四朝，官至尚书左仆射兼门下侍郎。

卒赠太师 、温国公
，谥文正，为人温良谦恭
、刚正不阿；做事用功刻苦、勤奋 。以“日力不足 ，继之以夜 ”自诩
，其人格堪称儒学教化下的典范，历来受人景仰。

司马光著述颇多
。除了《资治通鉴》 ，还有《通鉴举要历》八十卷 、《稽古录》二十卷
、《本朝百官公卿表》六卷。

此外
，他在文学、经学 、哲学乃至医学方面都进行过钻研和著述，主要代表作有《翰林诗草》
、《注古文学经》、《易说》 、《注太玄经》、《注扬子》
、《书仪》、《游山行记》 、《续诗治》
、《医问》、《涑水纪闻》 、《类篇》
、《司马文正公集》等 。

司马光的主要成就反映在学术上
。其中最大的贡献 ，莫过于主持编写《资治通鉴》。宋神宗熙宁年间
，司马光强烈反对王安石变法，上疏请求外任 。熙宁四年（1071年） ，他判西京御史台
，自此居洛阳十五年，不问政事
。

这段悠游的岁月 ，司马光主持编撰了294卷近400万字的编年体史书《资治通鉴》。司马光的独乐园，既是他的寓所
，也是《资治通鉴》书局所在地 。这里环境幽美，格调简素 ，反映了园主的情趣和追求
。其书局在汴京时已奉诏成立
，除了司马光之外，当时的著名学者刘恕、刘攽和范祖禹都参与了书局的工作。

其中 ，司马光任主编
，刘恕 、刘攽
、范祖禹为协修，司马光的儿子司马康担任检阅文字的工作 。司马光来洛阳后 ，便把《资治通鉴》书局由汴梁迁到洛阳
。在独乐园中常住的不仅有书局的工作人员
，当时洛阳的名贤如二程、邵雍 、文彦博等也常来此聚会，堪称是一个学术中心。

百度百科—司马光砸缸

百度百科—司马光